


Walking the Wire

by IrisClou



Series: Sensei Squared [Kaka/Iru/Tsu] [8]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Accidental Kissing, Childhood Friends, Homophobia, M/M, Slow Burn, Summer Love, Unrequited Crush, do with that information as you will, finger guns its no good until that sweet systematic oppression kicks in, ikkakus a fuckin frat boy and sakumos a twunk, im so bad at this fuck meeee, no homo but full homo yknow bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 07:56:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19389817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrisClou/pseuds/IrisClou
Summary: "Hit me." Ikkaku chewed on his bruised lip, moonlight streaming past his silhouette on the windowsill. His vision blurred at the cards in his hand, red mixing with black."I can't believe you." Sakumo dealt him a card face down, watching the young man's face darken at the result. "Of all the people in the whole damn world, you tried to punch theHokage."Or, Ikkaku is the reason Sakumo believes in risking it all for his loved ones.





	Walking the Wire

**Author's Note:**

> theyre in the land of the crescent moon or whatever it is, idk the fourth nart movie with the circus on the beach ? for some mission.  
> whatever conveniently gets me to have them on a beach during the summer bc teens and hormones and gimme the works mister sandman
> 
> theyre like. idk ikkakus like 17? sakumos like 18-19
> 
> hiruzens a prick

**[[JAI WOLF | INDIAN SUMMER]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbGZDEFHBmc) **

"So...why here?" Sakumo squinted, silver eyes catching the glinting sun as it tumbled closer and closer towards the ocean, shimmering rays cascading down the summer heat. They settled amongst the waves like shards of a broken mirror, brilliant and blinding. 

Ikkaku met it beaming, the sight one he treasured deeply in his heart. 

"My dad said the Umino clan came from across the ocean." He took in the scent of salt and sea, the warmth encompassing him from the hot sand he buried his toes in, to the glow of the sunset. "One day, I'm going to find them."

Sakumo blinked, brow furrowing as his mind went to work.

"Find them?" He asked, curious, "I didn't know they were lost." 

Ikkaku grinned, his hazel eyes alight with the spark of the solstice. 

"Not exactly. But we haven't had a clan leader in ages." His gaze grew level with his friend's. "I'm going to reform the Umino clan. And when I do…" The young man's smile widened even further. "I'll add a bit of Hatake to it." 

Sakumo's pale cheeks flushed rose in the waning light, his heart pounding in tune to the crashing waves, his body just another shore he wished Ikkaku would drop anchor for. He was such a free spirit, sailing through life with nothing but determination and good will...that trying to hold him close felt almost... _ wrong. _

Wrong, on top of the already bitter knowledge that two men together was...well, it wasn't right. Dogs and cats didn't seek mates in one another -- so why would  _ he  _ desire something just as fruitless? 

"Sakumo?" The tenderness in the voice caught the older boy off guard, and he straightened abruptly, neck prickling with heat. 

"Y-yes?" He managed, eyeing their endless shadows that stretched across the sands like dark pathways. Their silhouettes radiated gold. 

"Will you always be with me?" Ikkaku's shoulders fell, the final rays of the sun glancing off the bare bronze skin. The smile was fast fading, just as the light waned from the sky.

Sakumo nodded once. 

"Always." He whispered. And he was a man of his word. No matter what, he'd never let anything get in the way of this brotherhood. 

_~~AN D THEN HE DIED  
YOU BITCH~~ _

\--

"It's stupid, but I ain't dumb, y'know?" Ikkaku groaned, surfboard under his arm as they shuffled through what felt like miles of pristine white sand towards the barracks. "I'd stay out all night if I could, but I'd also like to not drown." 

Sakumo laughed quietly, his shoulder bumping his friend's as he lost balance a bit. Ikkaku playfully bumped it back. 

"I also know I should be super focused on the upcoming mission...but…" A grin lit up his features as he leaned his head back, a chuckle caught in his throat.

"So long as the  _ women _ don't distract you." The white haired jonin scolded lightly. 

"Nah…" The chuunin trotted ahead of his friend a bit, turning around to walk backwards, facing him as he spoke. "There's no competition to an Umino when he's near the ocean." He laughed, a smoky and rich sound to Sakumo's ears. One of his favorite sounds of all, if he was truthful. "I'd choose sand and surf over any girl." Confidence oozed from his raised brow expression.

"That's hard to believe." His friend was ready to play the game, the mood seeping into his veins, sun to his back. He took the offensive, jogging up to Ikkaku, silver ponytail bouncing. "That female instructor came in to do the briefing, and you nearly fell out your chair." He cuffed the young man in the arm, watching with a sly grin as he almost lost his balance. 

"Okay, that was intimidation, not infatuation." Ikkaku's voice hitched at the sudden roughness, but he was more than ready to escalate it. 

"Does it work for everyone?" Sakumo pressed, his steps exchanging for Ikkaku's, a hazardous dance as he advanced. His gray gaze was full of intent, the shadowy look of a wolf having caught sight of another. 

"Maybe." He returned the impish grin in earnest, but it was unfortunately short lived. The chuunin's heel caught on some scrub brush, and he went flailing backwards. The jonin lightning reflexes were enough to catch him, but not enough to keep them upright, and so Sakumo and Ikkaku went tumbling into the forgiving sand. 

They were halfway through trying to sort out legs between hearty bouts of laughter, Sakumo's hair flowing down his shoulders and into Ikkaku's face, causing the young man to sneeze, when a loud voice shook the sultry summer air.

_ "Hatake! Umino!"  _

The boys looked up, blood running cold at the sound. It was familiar in a terrible way. 

Their suspicions were instantly confirmed as an older shinobi approached from a little ways off.

_ Lord Third.  _

"Get up. Curfew was an hour ago." The man's eyes narrowed. "And I'd happily have you both stuck out in the cold all night for fooling around when you should be training.' 

Sakumo was up in a flash, hastily tying his hair back up, silver eyes cast downward. Embarrassment coursed through him, but moreso...something else. He couldn't place it. 

Frustration? 

Ikakku slowly rose to his feet, eyeing Hiruzen warily. It was old men like him and his father that made him decide to become a shinobi. He wanted nothing more than the old generation to just die out already, so his could teach the next to not cling blindly to tradition. 

"We  _ were _ training." He lied through his grit teeth. 

Sakumo shot him a panicked glance.  _ The hell? _

_ What was he saying? They'd just spent the past three hours acting like kids -- chasing each other and making up stupid competitions to win.  _

Ikkaku quickly paid for his mistake as Hiruzen's form flickered out of sight, only to reappear inches from him, weathered hand lashing out like a willow switch, drawing blood from the young man's lip as it hit him across the face. 

"Idiot! The only reason you're here is because Chozu fell ill. Don't you  _ dare  _ forget it." Hiruzen snapped, coal eyes alight.

Sakumo felt his cold blood run hot at the stunned expression on his friend's face. 

"It's my fault, Lord Third." He spoke up. The jonin would rather take the blame than to watch his friend suffer for just enjoying being by the ocean for the first time in years. "I distracted him."

The black gaze slid to trap Sakumo in a darkness he felt like icy fingers on his very heart.

There was something conniving, something venomous in Hiruzen's tone. 

"I'm sure you did,  _ Hatake _ ." He growled. 

Sakumo's heart froze.

_ Did he...did he  _ know  _ about…?! _

\--

[ **[TAYLOR/M.I.A]** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQjjLiw0QP4)

"Hit me." Ikkaku chewed on his bruised lip, moonlight streaming past his silhouette on the windowsill. His vision blurred at the cards in his hand, red mixing with black. 

"I can't believe you." Sakumo dealt him a card face down, watching the young man's face darken at the result. "Of all the people in the whole damn world, you tried to punch the  _ Hokage. _ " 

"Bust." The chuunin threw his cards down. Two jacks and an eight of hearts. 

"I'd say so." Sakumo frowned quietly.  _ Why'd he hit on an eighteen?  _

"Fuck off." Ikkaku turned his head to see his reflection in the mirror. The black eye would take a few days to go down, but his bottom lip would be scarred for who knew how long. It had gotten split wide open. Damn, it  _ stung. _ Especially after Sakumo had worried over it for a solid five minutes, applying salve and petroleum jelly. That stupid nervous laugh, _ "There's only so many uses for a bandaid, huh?" _

The jonin lowered his gaze. 

"He called you a faggot." Ikkaku hissed under his breath, the word like curdled bile on his tongue. It left a bitter medicinal aftertaste in his throat. "I'd have beaten him shitless if he'd just  _ stayed still _ for a fuckin' minute." 

Silence.

The dark room grew darker, even as the moon rose above Ikkaku's head, the light creating a cold halo around his thick charcoal locks. 

"Guess I'll have to get faster, huh?" The young man beamed, but it was just as fake as he felt at the moment. 

Sakumo looked away, face stormy. 

"It didn't bother me." He mumbled, unable to meet a steely glare with such a boldfaced lie. "You should have let it go." 

Ikkaku jumped down to the floor, bare feet splayed on the hardwood, his jacket hanging like a cape from his bare shoulders. 

**[[WARRIORS|SOLENCE]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TwihkFd-iU) **

"The fuck's the point of being a shinobi, if I can't defend my best friend's honor?" He snapped, standing over Sakumo's hunched form on the bed. "I didn't join the military to let the bastards  _ win,  _ dammit!" 

Tears beaded like scalding diamonds in his eyes. 

"He's the  _ hokage."  _ The jonin refused to see the fury in the man's expression. 

"I don't fucking care if he's  _ God!  _ I'd rather  _ die  _ than watch people like him cast aside people like  _ you.  _ Like you were  _ expendable!"  _ Ikkaku's hand lashed out, grabbing Sakumo roughly by the wrist, yanking it upwards. "Look at me!" 

The chuunin's heart fell to pieces like a burning church at the sight of his friend's face breaking in front of him, tears overflowing across pale cheeks to taut lips. 

"I'm sorry." He whimpered, the sound thicker than the pain that had shot up his arm from such a violent gesture. 

**[[MEGAMIX | IMAGINE DRAGONS]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbh8wr5orkQ) **

Ikkaku dropped the hand like stone. He stared at Sakumo, wordless, for what seemed like years. 

The man buried his face in his hands to save dignity, conscientious and crawling away from the shame that welled up in his tears. 

"...please...don't do that again." He choked back a sob, "I can't bear to see you get hurt because of me." 

Ikkaku watched his shadow stretch over Sakumo, enveloping him in a protective darkness as he drew nearer. 

"Shut up." His brown fingers were such a sharp contrast to his friend's pale shoulders. They dug in harshly to the sinewy skin. "I'd die for you a thousand times over, just for you to smile." The chewed nails left indentations. "Don't for a second, fucking forget that." 

Slowly, he brought Sakumo's head to his chest, hot sea salt raining down on that moonsilver ponytail. Still, he held his chin up. 

"No matter what anyone says...you're the best thing to have ever happened to me." Ikkaku confessed through trembling, bloody lips. He shakily knelt down at the bedside, taking Sakumo's hands in his as he did so. The calloused tan skin comforted the jonin. 

He looked up into adamantine eyes. 

"I just...want to make you feel like...you mean everything to me." Ikkaku's upturned brow gave away his true feelings, his heart pounding. "Want you to  _ understand  _ how  _ I  _ feel." 

"...We're walking the wire." Sakumo murmured, eyes trained on those bloody lips. Like a moth to the moon. 

"Whatever we walk, we're walking  _ together. _ " Ikkaku urged, rising up, arms slipping under his friend's, lifting him like a once forgotten doll into a loving embrace. His burly arms wrapped securely around the jonin, letting him rest all his physical weight and emotional burden on his shoulders. 

"If you give in, you're letting them win." The young man whispered. "Every day you fight back is a victory. Even if you fall, getting back up means you haven't lost." 

Sakumo said nothing. But he nodded once. And that was all Ikkaku needed. 

They held each other silently, until the moon hung high in the sky. 

[ **[NEVER NOT | HYE SUNG]** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guyR18QKs6g)

"Don't say anything. Let me…" Ikkaku's voice was husky from disuse. The sound shook the frozen quiet like wind on icicled branches. 

Sakumo felt their aching bodies shift as his friend took the first step. 

He followed. Hesitantly, but he did. 

Another. 

Another.

One...two-three. 

And again. 

Until the swaying was in unison and the anxiety faded into a gentle waltz. 

"Stop thinking." Ikkaku murmured sweetly. "Let it come and go like the tide." 

Sakumo closed his eyes, forehead to his friend's shoulder. 

"Be the breeze on the waves. Seagulls can't get caught in the undertow." 

The jonin churred softly.

"But they can't rest until they land on the water." 

Ikkaku mistepped, cheeks suddenly heating up. He bumped into the windowsill, scraping open his arm on the ledge. 

He swore under his breath, but had no time to brood as Sakumo tripped over his own feet and fell into him, frantically grabbing whatever he could for purchase. His lilywhite hands clasped around the back of Ikkaku's neck, tugging him downward as the jonin tried to pull himself back up. 

Rough, sunkissed hands instinctively caught on his slender hips, holding Sakumo up as their eyes met in that fleeting second before lips did the same. The taste of salt and blood was never sweeter on their tongues. 

And it all crashed down around them just as quickly as it had begun. 

Ikkaku's hands flew to his sides with a startled squawk, and Sakumo's feet slid out from under him. He fell to the wooden floor with a painful heap, curling a bit. 

Rushed apologized and frantic hands melted into raucous laughter as the pair keeled over in a fit of raspy giggles. 

"Kinda glad you lost your room key on the beach." Ikkaku playfully bumped his forehead to Sakumo's.

"Kinda glad you didn't tell Hiruzen." He whispered back, cheeks still flushed. 

They hugged on the floor until it got awkward, and Ikkaku yanked himself away. 

"Wanna play another game?" He grinned.

"Uh oh." The jonin winced preemptively, watching his friend scoop the remaining cards into his hands. "What is it?"

"Fifty two pickup!" He laughed, tossing them all in Sakumo's face. 

The young man spluttered in shock for a moment, before throwing himself onto his friend, tugging at his ponytail and yelling.

"Stop acting like such an idiot kid!" His face blushed a hot pink as they wrestled. "Why do I even bother sticking around?" 

"Beats me!" Ikkaku laughed harder, arms and legs flailing against the assault. 

But Sakumo was grinning just as brightly.

> ~~_didnt we have fun_ ~~
> 
> ~~_didnt we have fun_ ~~
> 
> ~~_lookin back_ ~~
> 
> ~~_ill never not think about you_ ~~

\--

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hiruzen gets better when hes older and thats probably why he devotes a lot of time to iruka bc he feels responsible for being a shit when he was younger


End file.
